Ernest “Red” Hallen (1875–1947) was an American photographer, noted for his 30 years of work as the official photographer of the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...

Life and work

Hallen was born in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, Georgia, in 1875. After spending six years in

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

and two years in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

, he was appointed as the official photographer of the Panama Canal by the

Isthmian Canal Commission The Isthmian Canal Commission (often known as the ICC) was an American administration commission set up to oversee the construction of the Panama Canal in the early years of American involvement. Established on February 26, 1904, it was given cont ...

in 1907. Hallen was contracted to capture “… a series of photographs… about once a month… to show construction progress” to satisfy both

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

and the American public. In addition to showing the construction and progress of the Panama Canal, Hallen depicted the day-to-day life of the “

Zonian Zonians (Spanish: ''Zoneítas'', singular: ''zoneíta'', ''zoniano'') are people associated with the Panama Canal Zone, a political entity which existed between 1903 and the absorption of the Canal Zone into the Republic of Panama between 1979 and ...

s” – Americans living in the

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...

- and its development over the course of the years. Throughout his 30-year career, Hallen produced between 12,000 and 16,000 images, each with a “strangely satisfying aesthetic experience” portraying life in the Panama Canal Zone. For his service to the Panama Canal Zone and as an employee of the Isthmian Canal Commission, Hallen was awarded the

Roosevelt Medal Roosevelt may refer to: *Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), 26th U.S. president *Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945), 32nd U.S. president Businesses and organisations * Roosevelt Hotel (disambiguation) * Roosevelt & Son, a merchant bank * Roosev ...

with two bars. Hallen retired as the official photographer of the Panama Canal Zone in 1937, after 30 years of service. Hallen and his wife Maude then moved to

Monterey Park, California Monterey Park is a city located in the western San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States, approximately from the Downtown Los Angeles civic center. The city's motto is "Pride in the past, Faith in the future". Mo ...

. Hallen died in 1947 at the age of 72. The

University of Florida Digital Collections The University of Florida Digital Collections (UFDC) are supported by the University of Florida Digital Library Center in the George A. Smathers Libraries at the University of Florida. The University of Florida Digital Collections (UFDC) comprise a ...

maintains an extensive collection of Hallen's work for the

Gallery

File:One Family House.jp
One Family House in Empire, south of Las Cascadas
File:Bas Obispo Cut.jp
Explosion in Progress-Bas Obispo Cut, September 19, 1907
File:Culebra Cut.jp
Shovels at work at Culebra Cut, May 20, 1913
File:Gatun Upper Locks.jp
Gatun Upper Locks, March 12, 1912
File:Steamshovel Loading Rock.jp
Steamshovel Loading Rock, March 1911

References

Sources

Building the Panama Canal: Photos by Ernest Hallen.
Museum of Fine Arts, n.d. Web. 9 July 2014.
Photographs of the Construction of the Panama Canal, 1887-1940.
OPA- Online Public Access, n.d. Web. 9 July 2014. *
Roosevelt Medal Holders
University of Florida Digital Collections, n.d. Web. 9 July 2014: 81.

External links

Ernest Hallen in the Panama and the Canal Collection
*

University of Florida Panama and the Canal Collection The University of Florida Panama and the Canal Collection includes materials from the University of Florida Libraries' Government Documents Department, the UF Libraries' Latin American Collection, the UF Libraries' Map & Imagery Library, and other ...

and th
Panama and the Canal Digital Collection

University of Florida Digital Collections (UFDC)

Panama Canal Centennial Online Exhibit

George A. Smathers Libraries
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hallen, Ernest Red 1875 births 1947 deaths American photographers People from Atlanta People from Monterey Park, California Zonians American civil servants Panama–United States relations American expatriates in Cuba